


Castle on the Hill

by perezimovat



Series: The Smaller Moments [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Marauders - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 21:45:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9258500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perezimovat/pseuds/perezimovat
Summary: Remus has struggled for 12 years. He gets an unexpected visitor and suddenly finds himself going home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if anyone's listened to the song "Castle on the hill" by Ed Sheeran but I heard it the other day and immediately thought of Hogwarts and specifically the marauders and suddenly poof. Inspiration came and I had to write it. I hope you all enjoy.

There was a click of the lock and he slumped inside the cottage, putting his small battered briefcase down to one side and looking around tiredly. It was barely a day after the full moon and he had hit his peak fro exhaustion. Unable to miss a day at work though he had continued on despite feeling ill and tired and his senses being in overdrive. Slumping slightly against the door, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling a pang of hunger sit in the pit of his stomach. He knew as well there was no point in being hungry, there was nothing in the cupboards save for a tin of soup and a few potatoes. Abject poverty wax the word that was thrown in his direction a lot. He made enough to keep a roof over his head but not enough to keep him really alive. 

Running his hand over his face and feeling the roughness of his cheeks and chin, he caught the glance of an opened letter from Lyall. His aging father liked to keep in contact even though Remus did not. For many reasons, the most prominent being that Remus just didn't want to trouble the man. He turned and moved through into the living room and slumped into the small armchair he had. Almost immediately Remus fell asleep, thin arms curled around his middle and breathing softly. He was at peace most after a full moon. It was the longest time he had till the next one and for a moment he could imagine he was just poorly and that he wasn't cursed. 

He woke a little after 4 am,  his stomach, ach now demanding attention. He groaned and rolled in the chair, wrapping an old threadbare blanket over himself before giving in and grunting. Pushing himself up from the warmth of his chair,  he made his way to the kitchen and found himself a yoghurt and a coffee. That seemed to subdue the hunger. Enough for the next couple of hours at least. Lazily he slumped through to the living room again to find someone standing there waiting for him. 

Remus almost dropped his coffee, staring at a face he hadn't seen in nearly 10 years. Albus Dumbledore stood with twinkling eyes and  a curious expression across his face. He gave a small smile at Remus and spoke. "I do apologise for the late intrusion, I was hoping to catch you before you before you got ready for work." 

Remus was still staring at the older man. He hadn't changed. His beard still hung several feet just above the ground and his eyes still twinkled brightly. When Remus didn't speak, Dumbledore took a sigh and gestured. "I didn't realise this was the type of living you experience. When you were in the Order you always appeared a little more comfortable."

"James and Lily used to..." the younger man cleared his throat finally finding his voice again. "Used to help. It's not easy getting a job. The registration act makes it doubly hard." 

"Ah." Dumbledore said simply before a glance at the shackles that Remus had chained in the corner. Dumbledore said nothing at this but drew up a chair for himself. "I'm here to ask a favour Remus," He said brightly. 

Remus blinked. "It doesn't have anything to do with Sirius Black does it?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Had I had an inkling you knew anything about his escape, I would have been here before the Daily Prophet had reported it. Unless," He looked sternly at Remus. "Do you know anything?"

There was a shake of his head and then a slump of his shoulders as Remus sat in his own chair. "No professor."

"Albus," Dumbledore said kindly correcting him. "I have not been your professor in many years."

Remus again drew quiet. He looked up at Dumbledore heart racing and mind pounding. 

"Where do you work?" Dumbledore asked keenly steering the conversation, which Remus was more than grateful for. He shuffled for a moment and cleared his throat. 

"Night shift at a Muggle hospital. A porter, cleaning. Nothing special. And I have a shift at the printing press for the Daily Prophet." He said. 

"I remember you managed 5 O.W.L's is that correct?" Dumbledore asked. "And 4 N.E.W.T's yes? Including a very high make in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Remus frowned.  "Sir-"

"If anything you are vastly overqualified and doing employment that does not suit your ability."

"As flattering as that is professor." Remus finally was able to find himself again. "No one will hire a werewolf. I can barely keep the porter job with all the sick leave I take. By time the year is up I'll be looking for something else."

Dumbledore merely smiled. "Which brings me to the reason I'm here for." He said. "Remus, I want to ask if you would come back to Hogwarts and teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Our last employment met with unfortunate ends." He tailed off before tilting his head and observing Remus for a moment.  

Remus was sat there a little in shock. He didn't know what to do. Go back to Hogwarts? There was nothing he wants more. Back to somewhere he felt safe and loved. He wanted it more than ever. And to teach. James and Peter always joked that he would make a good teacher once the Registration lifted it's restrictions. Sirius and James eventually took it one step further and on his 21st birthday got him a briefcase with 'Professor R.J.Lupin' stamped across it. It was his most prized possession and to this day he still had it. 

But then.... Going back to Hogwarts... It would bring up all those memories. All those days he, Sirius, James and Peter would just waste away together enjoying their lives.  Thinking that it would never end. And it would bring back the familiar ache of just missing his friends. 

"I can't. " He said slowly. Professor I'm a danger. I can brew Wolfsbane potion and I can't risk anyone stumbling into the Shrieking Shack. At school it was different.  I can't... I'm sorry. I won't endanger children."

"I see. Perhaps reassurance?" Dumbledore asked. "Professor Snape has agreed to make Wolfsane potion for you should you agree to come back." 

Remus blinked. "Snape?" he asked. "Severus Snape? The Death Eater?"

Dumbledore looked as if this was not the first time this had happened. "I trust Severus. He has amended his ways If I had cause to doubt him I would be upfront about it. And that is all you need to know."

Remus was reeling from this slightly. He had never sampled wolfsbane potion so he wasn't sure if it would work the way he had read it would. He ran his fingers across his greying hair and gave a sigh.

"Harry now attends the school."

Remus looked up so quickly that he might have pulled a muscle. "Harry?" his voice suddenly hoarse. "he's at school?" his voice broke slightly.  He had kept his distance for obvious reasons. And being called Professor from the boy he considered a family member instead of being called uncle Remus or uncle Moony might hurt more than the memories of his friends. "How is he? Does he look like James? Does he look like Lily?"

Dumbledore raised his hand to stop Remus in his tracks. "He is remarkably like his father. But also shows great compassion like Lily. He is both completely like his parents and nothing like them. I can think of no finer a way to finally meet him."

There was a small sigh from Remus and he scratched his cheek. The thought of seeing Harry, of knowing him personally was something he so desperately wanted. He looked over at Dumbledore and pursed his lips. "Severus will... He will prepare it right?"

"You have my word." Dumbledore said his head slightly bowing. He slipped into his robes and brought put a small ticket and passed it to him. "I look forward to seeing you back at Hogwarts."

Remus said nothing as he took the ticket from him and stared at it. Unsure of what to do or what to say, he gave a small nod. He looked up and Dumbledore was gone. Eyes casting down at the ticket he gave an uneasy smile. He was going home.

* * *

The journey took less time than he thought it would. Having left his home early and giving  the keys back to the landlady who lived a few doors down letting her know that he would not be back for about 9 months. He decided it would be easier to apparate than try and drive or use the Floo Network. His heart fluttered unexpectedly. He didn't know what to think but it felt almost unreal. Having a sort of semi-Muggle life and suddenly being thrust back into the magical world was a bit nerve wracking to say the least.

Closing his eyes he concentrated and turned on the spot. Heart thudding now in his ears he blinked and was taken aback slightly. 

The scarlet train glistened and brought all the memories back. Like he had not expected it to. He had arrived earlier than all the other students, exhausted off his feet from the full moon from a few days. It was hours until the train actually left but it gave him a chance to board onto the platform without having to worry about finding a compartment. That and he wanted desperately to get some rest before seeing the familiar castle on the hill.  

Making his way through the empty compartments he chatted to the trolley lady who passed him a bar of honeydukes finest chocolate and told him it was on the house given how tired he looked. He accepted it gratefully then went to find the familiar compartment that he, James, Sirius, Peter and Lily had all shared on their last journey from Hogwarts. He found it easily and sat in the corner looking for the small scribbles on the window ledge. 

Smiling faintly, touching the scratches. 'The Marauders 1978' he felt his world sink slightly. He missed them more now than ever. Having not thought about the night in 1981 in so long. He didn't want to think about it. How he lost them al in one night. How he lost Peter and Sirius barely 12 hours after finding out about the Potters deaths. How he had to attend their funerals alone. 

Biting down and shaking his head, he put his briefcase to one side and slid his travelling cloak over himself as a makeshift blanket. It was old news. He couldn't think about that. They'd find Sirius and they'd make him go back to Azkaban and that would be the end of it. 

Closing his eyes, Remus fell into much needed sleep. Not stirring for the longest time. He was aware that the space he was occupying had others. Children that shared stories and were unabashed by his presence. He slept on and was peaceful. 

Whatever he felt when he boarded the train came back tenfold. The painful memories and the feeling of cold. He blinked awake and saw James sitting opposite him before standing up. No not James. Not James. 

"Quiet!" he called hoarsely. A small glance back and he knew it was Harry. Harry and his friends. Not James. 


End file.
